The poisoning of the Skripals

How events unfolded in Salisbury after Yulia arrived on a plane from Russia to visit her father

March 3, 2.40pm

Yulia Skripal, 33, arrives at Heathrow Airport on a flight from Russia to visit her father Sergei in Salisbury, where he has lived since arriving in Britain following a spy swap with the Russians.

Overnight March 3-4

Potential window of opportunity for hit squad to smear nerve agent on front door handle at Col Skripal’s home in Christie Miller Road.

March 4, 1pm

Col Skripal and Yulia leave his home and possibly drive two miles to the city’s cemetery, in London Road, to visit the graves of his wife Lyudmila and his son Alexandr.

The cemetery became the focus of intensive forensic examination after the nerve attack.

1.40pm

Col Skripal and Yulia arrive in Sainsbury’s upper level car park. Moments later they walk to The Mill pub before going to Zizzi restaurant at about 2.20pm, and leave about 3.35pm.

4.15pm

Emergency services receive reports that Sergei and Yulia are slumped on a bench near the river Avon. Det Sgt Nick Bailey, understood to have been among the first responders, is only discharged from hospital nearly three weeks later.

4.15pm onwards

It is reported that emergency services suspect fentanyl – a synthetic opiate 50-100 times stronger than heroin – may have been involved. Officers tape off an area around a bench where one of the pair had been sick.

March 5

It emerges that the critically ill man is a Russian convicted of spying for Britain. Suspicion grows that Col Skripal may have been targeted in a nerve agent attack and scientists at Porton Down conduct tests. Public Health England says there does not appear to be any further immediate risk to public health.

Late afternoon

Counter-terrorism police seal off Col Skripal’s home in Salisbury.

March 7

Met Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley reveals the pair were poisoned with a nerve agent.

Skripal house sealed off, but only by officers from Wiltshire’s rural crime team

Police widen the cordon around the house as the search intensifies

Police reveal existence of a nerve agent and tighten security

Below: Yulia Skripal with her father and an unknown woman at the house. There were suspicions a nerve agent was used from the day after the attack, but it took another two days to tightly cordon off the house